Shannon Nash (Graduated Fall 2017)

Shannon Nash (Graduated Fall 2017)

Biography

Major and Minor Fields:
Major Field: USA, 1877 to present
Minor Field: Terrorism and Security
Minor Field: International Relations, 1815 to 1945

Supervisor: Professor Wesley Wark

Previous degrees:
B.A. (Honours) University of Waterloo, M.A. University of Waterloo

Description of dissertation and research interests:
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, fears over so-called “sleeper cells” have pervaded countries around the globe. But such worries are not new – the idea of enemies assimilating into a society and living quietly before rising up violently has been feared for centuries and has been an enduring aspect of American national security thought. My dissertation examines how and why Al Qaeda sleeper cells emerged as a focal point of American national security and paranoia.